Building block



Feb. 26, 1924.

' C. A. STEWARD FIGZR. Fi .3

INVEN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 26, 1924.

CHARLES srnwaan, er rLAno, iterators.

BUILDING BLOCK. l l f Application filed November 20, 1 929. Serial No. 425,412.

The invention relates .to building blocks.

for use in concrete enclosures, such as corn cribs, wherein it is desirable to secure ven tilation of the interior spaces to thereby relieve the contents of moisture'and avoid deterioration thereof.

The object of the invention is, therefore, to so fashion a building block that when it is laid in association with other building blocks to form the 'wall of an enclosure, ventilative ducts will be left in said wall through which air may freely circulate and carry off the moisture emanating from the confined mass of material within.

the enclosure.

Concrete building blocks, as ordinarily constructed, are provided with aligned vertical passages, the object being, not only to lighten the blocks and to save material, but to aflord interior ventilation of the walls of which they are constituent elements, but in these blocks no provision is made for the fiow of air from the inside to the outside of structure, the walls of which are made tight to prevent cold outside air from reaching and cooling the enclosed spaces. The invention does not, therefore, concern building blocks of this old type, except in so far as it may constitute an addition to or a quacllification of building blocks of that kin In a specific embodiment of the invention, there areformed in each of the building blocks, during the process of molding, not only vertical passages, such as are above described, but inner and outer inclined passages communicating with said vertical passages, and affording free communication between the inside and the outside of the building, the object of the inclination of these passages being to present declivities which, respectively prevent the contents of the enclosure from passing into the vertical ventilative passages, and the access of water from the outside.

These inclined passages are preferably formed partly in one block, and partly 1n another block, so that when adjacent blocks are assembled, the individual portions of said passages will coincide and constitute complete passages respectively establishing communication between the vertical ventilative passage and the interior and the exterior of the building.

The invention will be best understood by referrin to the accom an in drawin in which Figure 1 is. a perspective view of a block embodylng one form of the nvention;

Flgure 21s a fragmentary v1ew of a wall embodying the invention and appearing in elevation and Figure 3* is a vertical sectional view, taken on the line 3+3 of Figure 2.

block 1 is provided with one or more than one ventilative passage 2-, and in'the completed wall 3, there areinclined ducts 4 and 5 which respectively establish communication between the inside and the outside of a building and the ventilative passage 2.

One portion 7 of each of the ducts 4, 5, may be formed in the upper part of a lower, block, while another or mating portion 6, may be formed inthe lower part of a superimposed bloclr, the several blocks of a series being identically designed in order to ef fectuate economy in production and assembling. i

The ducts 4, 5, are disposed'opposite each other in the preferred form ofthe block, and they are spaced apart a sufficient distance to leave a considerable mass of cementitious material between them to resist a load. For the same reason said ducts'are ucts, and, at the same time, permit the access of air thereto. The inclination of the ducts 4 prevents particles of grain or ears of corn from passing into the ventilative passage 2, while the declination of the outer ducts 5, likewise prevents water from entering said passage, although the circulation of air through said ducts and said passage is freely permitted.

The portions 7 of the ducts 4 and 5, terminate at flat surfaces 8 which adjoin the ventilative passage 2 at the upper surface of a block, and the portions 6 terminate at similar flat surfaces 8 which adjoin the front and rear surfaces of a block at the bottom thereof, thus avoiding thin edges Which are liable to be broken.

The invention is not limited to the precise embodiment herein revealed, since it is obvious that slight changes may be made, Without departing from the principal of the invention, so long as inter-communication of the ducts is maintained and said ducts are so disposed as to exclude water and, at the same time, prevent the escape of materials that are enclosed by the structure.

The blocks may be molded or otherwise fashioned, but molding is preferable if the ducts are formed partly in one block and partly in another and adjacent block. In such case, the partial or semi-ducts are in effect recesses which admit of the withdrawal of the blocks from the molds.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

1. A block having a vertical passage therein, and provided at top and bottom with inclined ducts extending from said vertical passage through opposite side walls of said block, said ducts being open and respectively adapted to mate with similar ducts in other blocks to form ventilative passages.

2. A block having a vertical passage therein, and provided at top and bottom with inclined ducts extending from said vertical passage through opposite side walls of said block, said ducts being open and respectively adapted to mate with similar ducts in other blocks to form ventilative passages, and merging at their inner ends with a horizontal surface of said block.

3. A wall composed of blocks arranged in staggered relations, said blocks each having a plurality of vertical passages, and each being provided with open channels at top and bottom communicating with said vertical passages from opposite sides of said blocks, the passage at one end of a block being in alignment with the passages in the reverse ends of adjacent blocks.

In testimony whereof I afix signature.

CHARLES A. STEWABD. 

